My Two Darlings

Last night while at Friendly’s, Rachelle instructed me to take the kids to the car while she paid the check.

After snapping Cecelia’s car seat into its holster and buckling Layla into her seat, I sat in the passenger’s seat. Seconds later, Cecelia let out a shriek which peaked and then leveled off as a steady cry. Layla chanted “Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!” I felt my heart rate speed up, and my underarms began to sweat. I reached for the radio dial to put on the Elmo CD as per Layla’s request.

Cece’s cry grew louder. I glanced through the rear-view mirror, hoping to spot Rachelle. No dice. Layla yelled, “NO ELMO! NO ELMO…,” then it morphed into a desperate cry. No Elmo, it is. I quickly jabbed the radio dial to turn it off, revealing my mounting frustration.

“ELMO, ELMO ELMO!” she exclaimed.

The cries of both children knotted together to form a cluster of audible mayhem. At one point, Layla’s cry peaked when Cece’s cry lulled, and vice versa. It was like the Dueling Banjos from Hell.

Another look into the rear-view, still no Rachelle. As usual when placed in an uncomfortable situation, I took out my cell phone to distract myself.

Ten minutes went by and the cries became loud enough to shake the windows, and my soul.

“Calm down, Jim. It’s going to be fine. Just block it out.”

I rolled my thumb across the Blackberry trackball, aimlessly.

“I can’t block it out.Where is Rachelle? What can they possibly be crying about? I’m not giving into Layla. I don’t know who she thinks she is. God it’s hot in this car. Why is this jacket so tight?”

My scattered thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the driver-side door opening.

“Hey hun. What’s wrong? You look frustrated,” Rachelle said casually.

“I’m just a little warm, that’s all.”